Transnet on schedule with Cape Town terminal expansion

TRANSNET Port Terminals' (TPT) 5.6 billion rand ($757 million) expansion of its Cape Town facility is reported to be squarely on schedule according to South Africa's Engineering News, with 16 rubber-tyred gantry (RTG) cranes having been phased in over the past six months, and a further 16 more to be installed by the end of the year.

The expansion works, which are expected to last five years in all, are largely centred around the conversion of terminal's straddle carrier yard into a full-fledged RTG operation, so as to allow for dense container stacking, and thus a more effective utilisation of space.

Terminal executive, Moshe Motlohi, expects this to result in a 40 per cent increase in capacity per block, culminating in an overall volume of 1.4 million TEUs by 2012 - a significant increase on the current 740,000 TEU limit.

69 equipment operators have been schooled to operate the new machinery so far, with 14 more expected to complete their training by September.

Transnet is also slated to receive the two additional batches of haulers this year, raising the total number received thus far to 47, at a total value of 870 million rand ($117 million).

(Source: www.schednet.com)